Traveling and getting around the city without internet
Internet can disappear not only upon arrival in another country, but even during a trip across Russia, for example, by train. We have prepared useful tips for those who are worried about losing network access during a vacation or business trip and don't want to lose their bearings.
Download maps in advance
A rather trivial, but in real life very practical advice — download an offline map of the city you need in advance. Of course, without internet, you are unlikely to be able to quickly call a taxi or plan routes, but in any case, you will find the desired location by address.
Check your calendar
The main thing is to always have your calendar handy. Enter upcoming events, trips, and activities into your calendar so you don't miss anything. By the way, it's a very useful habit to add all events to your calendar with a reminder in advance. This is especially relevant if you will be in different time zones — the app will notify you when it's time to leave.
Choose a hotel with Wi-Fi
Perhaps, in the modern world, it's quite difficult to find a hotel without free Wi-Fi, but in more budget-friendly options, this seemingly 'basic' service might not be available. It happens that a hotel provides a network, but it's heavily overloaded, and you won't be able to watch a YouTube video before bed after a long day. It's better to check reviews about the Wi-Fi performance in advance so you don't end up without a connection.
Buy a local SIM card
Increasingly, this is becoming the most convenient way to always use mobile communication abroad. If previously you had to get a SIM card upon arrival in a country, now the practice of virtual numbers is becoming more common. The main thing is to make sure your smartphone supports this service, buy a number, top up your balance, and not worry about going broke on roaming.
Take care of content
At some point, sitting on a plane and scrolling through a photo gallery, everyone involuntarily wonders why they didn't bring a book or download a TV series. During your trip, you will have enough time to listen to music or rewatch 'Supernatural'. Especially if you are traveling by train on the route 'Moscow — Vladivostok'.
Remember SMS
Yes, and this is quite a working tip. Given that each of us is already used to communicating with friends in messengers, many have forgotten about SMS messages. However, for communication, you will need a 2G network, dexterity in typing, and the recipient's awareness that you will send them a good old message to their phone.
Download a translator
In some countries, you will be perfectly understood even in Russian or broken English. This greatly helps travelers who are visiting a country for the first time and want to ask a passerby about the location of attractions. However, this doesn't always work — for example, in Japan, locals rarely understand English. Therefore, it's better to take care in advance to be able to ask any question, calmly buy a souvenir, and even bargain. You can download the most basic one from Yandex, which is included in the top 6 translators according to our version and can translate from photos.
Learn to navigate without a GPS
If geography and cartography passed you by, it would be good to catch up on this skill. It would be appropriate to buy a city map or download it to your phone in advance. The basic principle is quite simple — you need to understand exactly where you are. Next — study the streets parallel and perpendicular to your position and understand which side they are on relative to you. Initially, it will be a bit difficult, but over time you will be able to get by without a navigator even in an unfamiliar city.
Here are some of the most useful apps with navigation that allow you to download maps in advance and use them offline:
We wish you great travels where you won't even remember needing Wi-Fi!
